The great bronze doors of the Han estate creaked open just past dusk. The sky was still painted with embers of gold, and the garden lanterns had just begun to glow with soft orange fire.
Madam Han, dressed in elegant pink robes, waited at the entrance with composed urgency. Though refined and graceful, she bore the aura of someone not unfamiliar with war. Her gaze flicked beyond General Han to the two small figures following behind.
First, at the older girl.
Black hair, unkempt but regal. A tattered cloak stained with blood and ash. Piercing eyes like frost in moonlight. Arms protectively wrapped around the tiny bundle of her sister while holding a broken sword.
And then, the baby — cheeks pale, body limp with fever, her tiny breaths shallow against her elder sister's chest.
General Han gave Madam Han a quiet nod.
"Shen LiuYan and Shen LiuHua"
Madam Han recalled her husband's words. "But from this moment onwards they are Han JiLan and Han QiYan. They are ours."
Madam Han's heart clenched as she took a look at the sight of the two girls. Her hands trembled just slightly before she pressed them together. "So small… yet they've already seen worst," she whispered.
She stepped forward slowly, careful not to startle the girls. But LiuYan's body stiffened. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, the weight of too many betrayals thick in her gaze. She turned slightly, shielding LiuHua behind her shoulder.
It wasn't hatred in her eyes.
It was fear, buried deep beneath an iron will.
"No closer," LiuYan said voice low and sharp. "No more strangers."
Madam Han halted, nodding gently. Her voice softened like silk weaving through broken stone.
"You've fought enough, little warrior. I am not here to hurt you."
Then she knelt. Not out of pity — but love.
"I will wait here, until you are ready."
As the night deepened and the chill air settled over the border estate, General Han and Madam Han led their quiet guests across the lantern-lit courtyard. Behind them, Shen LiuYan walked silently — her steps uneven from fatigue, but her arms fiercely steady around the tiny form of her baby sister.
Just beyond the threshold of the inner halls, two boys skidded to a stop on polished tiles.
The older one, around twelve, had a wooden sword tucked into his belt and a smudge of soot on his cheek. His brother, a little shorter, wore an oversized robe and a wide, curious grin.
"So these are the girls Father told us about?" the younger one whispered loudly.
"Don't be rude;" hissed the elder — then promptly stepped forward and said, "I'm Han Jiutian. This is my little brother Han Yueming. Little sis, you look like you fought a war and won." Pointed toward the broken sword, "with that".
Yueming bounced beside him, trying to peer at the bundle in Liuyan's arms.
"Is that your sister? She's so tiny… like a steamed bun. What's her name?"
Liuyan's grip around LiuHua tightened immediately. Her expression turned sharp, eyes darting between them like a hunted creature bracing for more pain.
The boys froze both instinctively sensing they'd crossed an invisible line.
Yueming whispered, "Sorry…"
But LiuHua stirred, her tiny brow wrinkling. She let out a small, broken whimper — not loud, but enough to pierce through the fragile silence.
LiuYan flinched. Her arms tensed. Her eyes glistened with something unspoken.
"Shh, it's okay. Don't cry," she whispered, pressing her cheek to her baby sister's head. "I'm still here…"
From behind them, Madam Han stepped forward. Her movements were slow, deliberate — like approaching a wild animal still caught in the jaws of fear. She knelt quietly in front of LiuYan, but kept a respectful distance. Her voice was calm. Warm. Like firelight.
"You've done so well, my baby. To keep her safe… to come this far."
LiuYan didn't answer. Her mouth was set in a thin line. She didn't move.
"Only my mother called me that"
"What honey?"
"My baby"
Madam Han didn't push further. She looked instead to the trembling bundle in the girl's arms. Then, very gently, she unclasped her cloak and held it out.
"She's cold, isn't she? Here… this will help."
LiuYan hesitated… then slowly accepted the cloak, draping it tighter around LiuHua. Madam Han smiled faintly, but said nothing more.
"Let me show you to your room,"
she said after a moment.
"You'll have your own bed. Also… you can keep her close. No one will take her from you."
Still cautious, still silent, LiuYan gave a single nod.
The room was simple but warm. A soft bed, clean linen, a small brazier already glowing.
Shen LiuYan settled on the bed with LiuHua curled against her. She didn't take off her boots. Didn't let her guards down. But for the first time in weeks, she didn't lie on stone or dirt. She didn't sleep with one eye open.
Before the door closed, Madam Han looked back once more.
"Rest, child. Just for tonight, let someone else worry about the world."
The door shut with a gentle click, leaving behind only the sound of Liuhua's breathing — and the steady heartbeat of a sister who refused to break.